Although he could have safely navigated outside the marked navigable waterway, the sailboat ElTio returned up the Saint Lawrence River within the navigable channel, along the port buoys on the side of the ships moving downstream. The ElTios captain lacked a full understanding of the situation, i.e., his position relative to the waterway and his sailboats movements relative to the ships he encountered. His lack of knowledge of the Collision Regulations led to a situation where the ElTio very nearly collided with the dredger PortMchins and the large sailboat SednaIVand, ultimately, collided with the oil tanker MariaDesgagns. By neglecting to activate the electronic chart system and to adequately monitor the radio, in addition to being unable to consult a navigation chart and depending solely on the graphic display of a global positioning system in navigating from one waypoint to the next, the El Tios captain showed an inability to navigate in restricted waters at night in the presence of commercial traffic.Findings as to Causes and Contributing Factors Although he could have safely navigated outside the marked navigable waterway, the sailboat ElTio returned up the Saint Lawrence River within the navigable channel, along the port buoys on the side of the ships moving downstream. The ElTios captain lacked a full understanding of the situation, i.e., his position relative to the waterway and his sailboats movements relative to the ships he encountered. His lack of knowledge of the Collision Regulations led to a situation where the ElTio very nearly collided with the dredger PortMchins and the large sailboat SednaIVand, ultimately, collided with the oil tanker MariaDesgagns. By neglecting to activate the electronic chart system and to adequately monitor the radio, in addition to being unable to consult a navigation chart and depending solely on the graphic display of a global positioning system in navigating from one waypoint to the next, the El Tios captain showed an inability to navigate in restricted waters at night in the presence of commercial traffic. Although the process prescribed by the Competency of Operators of Pleasure Craft Regulations for the acquisition of a Pleasure Craft Operators Card (PCOC) calls upon candidates to achieve a certain degree of knowledge of pleasure craft operations, it cannot be assumed that the holder of such a card has the necessary skills to pilot this type of craft in complete safety.Finding as to Risk Although the process prescribed by the Competency of Operators of Pleasure Craft Regulations for the acquisition of a Pleasure Craft Operators Card (PCOC) calls upon candidates to achieve a certain degree of knowledge of pleasure craft operations, it cannot be assumed that the holder of such a card has the necessary skills to pilot this type of craft in complete safety. The reflection off the El Tios cockpit,which was seen from the bridge of the oiltanker MariaDesgagns, was most likely the reflection of the beam from the MariaDesgagns searchlight. This report concludes the Transportation Safety Boards investigation into this occurrence. Consequently, the Board authorized the release of this report on 12July2007. Units of measure in this report conform to International Maritime Organization (IMO) standards or, where there is no such standard, are expressed in the International System of units. All times are Eastern Daylight Time (Coordinated Universal Time minus four hours). Regulation under the Canada Shipping Act, Transport Canada, SOR9953.Other Finding The reflection off the El Tios cockpit,which was seen from the bridge of the oiltanker MariaDesgagns, was most likely the reflection of the beam from the MariaDesgagns searchlight. This report concludes the Transportation Safety Boards investigation into this occurrence. Consequently, the Board authorized the release of this report on 12July2007. Units of measure in this report conform to International Maritime Organization (IMO) standards or, where there is no such standard, are expressed in the International System of units. All times are Eastern Daylight Time (Coordinated Universal Time minus four hours). Regulation under the Canada Shipping Act, Transport Canada, SOR9953.